Five killed as heavy rains lash Uttarakhand

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PTI

July 17, 2016

UPDATED: July 17, 2016 15:10 IST

Dehradun, Jul 17 (PTI) Five persons were killed as heavy rains lashed Uttarakhand, taking the toll in the current spell of rains in the state to six even as most rivers were flowing close to the danger mark and the roads leading to Badrinath and Kedarnath blocked disrupting the pilgrimage.

Three persons were killed and two injured when a car skidded off the road last night amid heavy rains and fell into a 200 mt deep gorge near Srinagar in Pauri district, police said today.

Twopersons died late last evening in Nandgaon village near Badkot in Uttarkashi district when a tree fell on their house following heavy rains in the area, SDM Badkot Rajkumar Pandey said.

55-year-old Prem Singh died on the spot as the stone ceiling of their house caved in over them under the weight of the tree while 60-year-old Jagat Chand died on way to the hospital, he said.

15-year-old Akash Ram was also seriously injured in the incident, he said.

With two more deaths reported from Uttarkashi the toll in the current spell ofrains in Uttarakhand which started on Friday night rose climbed to three.

A woman was killed yesterday morning as the bus she was travelling in overturned after being hit by the overflowing waters of a canal in Haldwani in Nainital district.

Incessant rains are likely to continue in the state for another 24 hours making things worse especially in Udhamsingh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun districts where extremely heavy rains are expected at a couple of places during the period, MeT office Director Vikram Singh said.

Two houses were also damaged by torrential rains in Uttarkashi district while two rooms of controversial godman Pilot Babas ashram at Saini near Maneri were washed away by the swollen Bhagirathi river which is flowing close to the danger mark at 1121.0 metres.

People living close to the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries Bhagirathi, Alaknanada and Mandakini spread over different districts including Haridwar, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag are being evacuated to safer locations.

Central Water Commission said the Ganga at Haridwar is flowing very near the danger mark at 293.20 metres while the danger level is pegged at 294 metres.

Pilgrimage to Badrinath and Kedarnath is disrupted with the roads leading to the two famous Himalayan shrines blocked.

While Rishikesh-Badrinath Highway is closed at Lambagad and Kanchanganga, the road to Kedarnath is blocked at Parking and Munkutiya between Sonprayag and Gaurikund.PTI ALM DPT DIP DV

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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